Ghana Medical Association says public should ignore statement

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has asked the public to ignore statements by doctors of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) that they would be attending to only three patients per day.

A release signed by the General Secretary, Dr Frank Serebour and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said though Ghana had a high doctor to patient ratio with some regions recording as high as 1:12,000, doctors were still not in a position to work strictly according to the WHO recommendations of 1:3.

The GMA also expressed concern about how doctors had been criminalized in the media by some individuals including ministers of state after the missing stillborn baby at KATH.

“Even though the GMA agrees that it is important to unravel the mystery surrounding the loss of the baby of Madam Suwaiba, this should not be the platform for anybody to drag the name of the GMA and for that matter any doctor into the mad,” the statement said.

It said GMA was monitoring the ongoing investigations and would not shield anyone found guilty but at the same time it would not sit aloof for any doctor to be used as an escape goat to pacify some disgruntled individuals.

The statement reminded the Ministry of Health and other agencies of laid down procedures to handle matters of such nature and should not attempt to micro manage institutions that would create confusions.

The GMA promised to release a comprehensive statement on the KATH and the missing baby issue in due course. GNA